


Evolution

by TheodoreR



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheodoreR/pseuds/TheodoreR
Summary: Liam told him people change and they grow and they evolve, and that’s why he can love him now, despite the monster he was. He told him the first time he saw Theo as something different than the selfish sociopath who tricked him into killing his Alpha was when he pushed him into that elevator and smiled at him before running towards the Ghost Riders alone. The way Liam described it, it sounded heroic. Theo didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t even real.





	Evolution

 

 

Liam told him people change and they grow and they evolve, and that’s why he can love him now, despite the monster he was. He told him the first time he saw Theo as something different than the selfish sociopath who tricked him into killing his Alpha was when he pushed him into that elevator and smiled at him before running towards the Ghost Riders alone. The way Liam described it, it sounded heroic. Theo didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t even real.

He hid it well, but for the first two weeks after Hell he didn’t trust a thing he saw. He just went with it because every second of illusion was a second away from Tara ripping his heart out of his chest once again. He’s always been good at faking and he played along so that she could have her fun and let him take a break. It doesn’t mean that if he knew he was _really_ out for good, he wouldn’t have done it. Theo doesn’t know that. It’s just that he wasn’t aware he even had something to sacrifice when he offered himself as human bait. It was all in his head anyway and she was just waiting.

She wasn’t.

He realized it days later, after the umpteenth time of waking up in his truck with his hands gripped on his chest and his - _her_ \- heart beating like crazy and pumping fear through his veins. Still inside him. It was the best feeling ever and he laughed and laughed at the relief. Not even kissing Liam for the first time outmatched that.  

The first time he told him _I love you_ , on the other hand, did.

*

The nightmares never stopped and she took her heart back countless times over the months. The relief in waking up with his heart still beating inside him, of actually _waking up_ , never changed, but eventually he stopped telling her _it’s okay_. Liam told him people change and they grow and they evolve, and so do hearts, and hers has been beating inside him for too long now not to be his. She kept coming back for it, but Theo never told her again that it was okay, because she was dead and he wasn’t, and it was unfair but he needed his heart.

*

The second time he does it, covering Liam with his life, he knows what he’s doing. Gabe hits him in the shoulder and that’s it, but Theo was ready to die and go back to her.

Maybe that’s why Liam follows him out of the hospital that night.

*

People change and Liam has to repeat that a lot, because not everyone accepts it. He’s impatient and he growls and he flashes his eyes at his own pack, but Theo holds his hands and he always manages to calm him down. He doesn’t care anyway. It can be annoying sometimes, all the comments and the looks, but Theo can’t really blame them. People change, it’s true, but the blood never dries and even he has trouble believing Liam sometimes.

_“You took a bullet for me.”_

But then, it’s not like he can argue with that. He’d take worse for him.

*

They fight over that a lot.

It’s stupid because Liam does the same and Theo is sure that it’s supposed to be one of the _good_ things, being always ready to jump between your boyfriend and the danger, but Liam goes out of his mind every single time. Theo doesn’t understand why, it’s not like he has a death wish or something, he wouldn’t even do that for anyone. Hell, he probably wouldn’t do that for literally _anyone else_ in the world, because people change, but not that much, and he doesn’t have some hero complex or shit like that. He can leave that to Scott, saving Liam and Liam only is how far Theo will go, and it’s not even selfless. Theo likes being alive, he likes it a lot actually and he doesn’t care if he deserves it or not, he’ll do everything to keep things that way, but if one of them has to go, he’ll never be the one left behind to deal with it. He’ll choose any Hell over that anytime, because people change but he’s still selfish just like that.  

“You fucking idiot, I can’t believe-you can’t die for me Theo, okay? Hey, stay with me, come on, I’ll take it out.”

Liam is so overreacting. It’s just an arrow and yes, it’s uncomfortably close to his heart but there’s not even Wolfsbane on it. The black veins has appeared so fast on Liam’s arm that Theo didn’t even have time to start feeling the pain. Chimeras heals a little slower than werewolves, but as soon as the arrow is out his skin starts knitting itself back together under Liam’s relieved eyes. He has the decency to wait until the wound is completely gone before punching him on the shoulder, bitter. “You idiot. I’ll kill you myself next time.”

Theo chuckles and pulls his boyfriend closer to kiss his pouting away.

“Hey, remember what I told you that night at the hospital?” He whispers against his lips, smirking. “I’m not dying for you, Dumbar.”

Liam’s eyes glint of amusement as he leans closer to steal another kiss. “Yeah, me neither” He says, eyes distant in the memories of that night. That was when everything started, when Liam followed him after the fight and found him sleeping in his truck. He looks like he’s about to kiss him again, but then his lips tilt in the ghost of a sad smile. “But you did.”

Theo chuckles confused. “What?”

He tries to kiss the nonsense away, but Liam leans back, grave.

“You did, remember? When Gabe started shooting, you took a bullet in the head for me.”

*

Theo opens his eyes.

There’s a burning pain in his chest where someone is clenching his hand around his heart. He pulls it out and Theo meets the familiar blue eyes just for a second before falling on the ground heartless.

Liam, not Tara.  

People change and they grow and they evolve, but Hell does too.

 

 

 


End file.
